Konono N°1

The band was founded back in the 1960s by Mingiedi Mawangu, a virtuoso of the likembé (a traditional instrument sometimes called »sanza« or »thumb piano«, consisting of metal rods attached to a resonator). By experimenting with magnets salvaged from old car parts, Mingiedi invented and gradually improved his own electrified likembe, which he plugged into a guitar amplifier. The band's line-up includes two or three electric likembés (bass, medium and treble), a rhythm section which uses traditional as well as makeshift percussion (pans, pots and car parts), singers, dancers and a sound system featuring these famous megaphones.

The musicians come from an area which sits right across the border between Congo and Angola. Their repertoire draws largely on Bazombo trance music, but they've had to incorporate the originally-unwanted distorsions of their sound system. This has made them develop a unique style which, from a sonic viewpoint, has accidentally connected them with the aesthetics of the most experimental forms of rock and electronic music, as much through their sounds than through their sheer volume (they play in front of a wall of speakers) and their merciless grooves.

The release of their first album titled »Congotronics« created a sensation. The band’s wild, hypnotic sound made it an instant success with media, and with indie rock & electronic music artists and audiences across the world. The press went hyperbolic, and the enthusiasm was as remarkable among musicians: Konono became a reference, and was quoted as a major source of inspiration by numerous artists, from Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Wilco, CocoRosie and Animal Collective to Thom Yorke, Björk, Beck...

In the meantime, the band was invited by Björk to collaborate on the song Earth Intruders, co-produced by Timbaland, for her Volta album. They then played some US shows with her in 2007. Konono N°1 also collaborated with Herbie Hancock for his album The Imagine Project, recording a song along with Seal, Pink, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Oumou Sangare and others. The song earned the Grammy Award for »Best Pop Collaboration« in 2011.Konono No.1 have performed at major rock & electronic music festivals such as Coachella, ATP (at the invitation of the Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening), Sonar, The Big Chill, and in venues such as the Berghrain club in Berlin, Cafe Oto in London, where they recently recorded a memorable Boiler Room session. Konono No.1 founder Mingiedi Mawangu died on April 15, 2015, at the age of 85. He had stopped touring with the band in the late 2000s, and had passed the torch to his son Augustin Makuntima Mawangu.2016 sees the release of a new album, Konono N°1 meets Batida

[k]tunes Konzertvorschau

Jan Plewka / Leo Schmidthals / Tom Stromberg // Stadtkuratorin Hamburg: Casey // Stadtkuratorin Hamburg: Tami T. & Zhala // Smallbeast #19 mit Little Annie, Budgie, Ned Collette, u.a. // Konono N° 1 // Michy Reincke // Shanawaara // Karol Conka // Fannie Sosa (DJ-Set)